Effective logo design is both an art and a science. It’s an art because it’s a product of a sustained creative effort and it’s a science because it needs to closely align with the objective of the clients; this is why the process of logo design is a coming together of the creative and the technical.

Let’s take a look at some of the crucial stages of the process of logo design. Each and every stage contributes towards giving shape to a logo that is a perfect visual representation of the organization, its mission, values, and its offerings.

The Brief

Clients brief the logo design team regarding their requirements and expectations from the logo. Designers ask detailed questions regarding the kind of logo that the client and wants and the kind of impression that clients want the logo to create and where the logo is going to be used. They ask all pertinent questions that are going to have a bearing on the design of the logo, and which only the client can answer.

The Research

Exhaustive briefing is followed by comprehensive research on the clients’ industry, profile, and competition. Conducting research on the industry itself, is a great way of identifying the risks associated with particular logo design and the challenges it will face in the market to capture the attention of the target audience. All problems regarding the logo are recognized and a solution found for them. This is the stage which paves the way for a smooth design process.

Gathering References

Now that both the clients and the design team know what they want from their logo, the next step is to gather references. The logo design team now takes a look at the various popular logos catering to the same niche as their clients. They look up their finer points and what they are doing right and especially what they are doing wrong. Designers also take a look at the latest trends and try and zero in on those trends that have longevity written in bold terms on them.

The Conceptualization

Right, now the team is prepared to develop a concept that revolves around their brief and research. If one is to pinpoint that stage of the design process that can either make or break the logo, it has to the sketching and conceptualization stage. This is when ideas are brainstormed and the concept of the logo is fleshed out in great detail. This is also the stage that requires designers to be at their creative best. The ideas that have so far been in their hands are now put onto paper.

Taking a Break

This is a period of rest. Both designers and their clients reflect whether they are on the right track and whether the ideation is taking shape in line with their conceptualization. Ideas can be reworked at this stage, and the logo’s concept improved upon, if the team finds that the logo so far, wasn’t up to the mark.

Revision of logo

No logo is perfect the first time it is sketched. It needs to go through a process of revisions, before it comes good on all quarters. A logo needs to be perfect as organizations don’t have the liberty to keep changing their logos. So designers tend to take it through, numerous revisions till they zero in on the logo that is absolutely perfect.

Delivery

This is essentially the final stage of the logo design process when the logo is finally presented to the client. Designers either present the logo as a stand –alone or might even present it contextually, with respect to the environment or situation in which they are going to be used.

Each and every stage of the logo design process brings to life the logo in some way or the other. So, no stage can be compromised for the sake of another or just because designers think it’s unnecessary.

The header image courtesy of Flickr